Roy Keane blown away by Declan Rice performance v Croatia
Roy Keane has been left impressed by West Ham midfielder Declan Rice’s ‘excellent’ performance for the Three Lions against Croatia at Wembley.
The Hammers ace was deployed as the deepest of England’s three midfielders and him shielding the back four allowed the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Mason Mount to express themselves on the pitch.
While his influence went unnoticed to a majority of the people watching the game, the former Manchester United captain made it a point to praise him in the same breath as he praised Phillips – who set up Raheem Sterling’s goal.
He told ITV, “There was talk before the game about maybe taking a draw but l thought it was vital they got a win. I thought it was a very good performance by England.
“Very mature, how they managed the game and they mixed their game up well – good short passes then stretching Croatia.
“What they did which was vital was winning the midfield battle. If you win the midfield battle it gives you a foothold to win football matches. Phillips and Rice were excellent. A very good day for England.”
Continues to impress
Rice’s transition from injury to playing football at a competitive level has been seamless, to say the least.
There’s a reason why David Moyes has called him ‘outstanding’. [Daily Mail]
He looked so unruffled and unnerved against the 2018 World Cup finalists, and put in a fantastic performance under the hot Wembley sun in front of lively home support.
The West Ham man started in midfield but often dropped deep to form a back three both with and without the ball. Having played as a centre-back during his youth days, this wasn’t a role that he was unaccustomed to.
Against Croatia, he enjoyed a tidy game with the ball – boasting a pass completion rate of 87.5 percent. He was also good without the ball as he won both his attempted aerial duels and also completed two clearances. [Sofascore]
We still believe he’s going to get better as the tournament progresses, and if England are to go deep in the tournament, he will undoubtedly be at the heart of it.
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